Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-11-17

be sold to the highest bidder. Let my lord
pardon me if [ weary my lord, but it hath
pleased my lord to say that he loves ME,
Nyleptha, a Queen of the Zu-Vendi, and
therefore would I say, that though my love
and my hand be not much to my lord, yet
to me are they all.
'tOhr' she cried with sudden and thrill
ing change of yoise, and modifying her
dignified mode of address. ooh, how can
| know that thou lowest butme? How can
| know that thou wilt not weary of me and
seek thine own place again, leaving me
desolate? Who is there to tell me but that
thou lowest some other woman, some fair
woman unknown to me- but who yet draws
breath beneath this same moon that shines
on me tonight? Tell me h01U am I to
know?' And she clasped her hands and
stretched them out towards him, and look
ed appealingly into his face
"Nyleptha," answered Sir Henry, adopt
ing the Zu-Vendi way of speech; Il have
told thee that love thee; how am to tell
thee how much love thee? Is there then
a measure for love? Yet will try. I say
not that | have never looked upon another
woman with favor. but this I say, that 1
love thee with all my life and with all my
strength; that | love thee now and shall
love thee till grow cold in death, ay, and
as believe, beyond my death, and Gu and
on forever, say that thy voice is music to
my ear, and thy touch as water to a thirsty
land; that where thou art there the world
is beautiful, and when I see thee not tits as
though the light was dead. Oh, Nyleptha.
[ will never leave thee: here and now for
thy dear sake will forget my people and
my fathers house; yea, | renounce them
all BY thy side viii [ live, Nyleptha, and
at thy side will die
He paused and gazed at her earnestly,
but she hung her head like lily, and said
never word
"LookP' he went on, pointing to the
statue on which the moonlight played so
brightly ''Thou seest that angel woman
who rests her hand upon the forehead of
the sleeping man, and thou seest how at
her touch his soul flames up and shines
out through his flesh, even as lamp at
the touch Of fire: SO it is with me and thee
Nyleptha. Thou hast awakened my soul
and called it forth, and now, Nyleptha it
is not mine, not mine, but thine, and thine
only. There is no more for me to say: in
thy hands is my life" And he leaned
back against the pedestal Of the statue,
looking very pale, and his eyes shining,
but proud and handsome as q god.
Slowly, slowly she raised her head, and
fixed her wonderful eyes. all alight with
the greatness of her passion, full upon his
face, as though to read his very soul Then
at last she spoke, low indeed, but clearly
as silver bell.
''Of truth, weak woman that am, do
believe thee. III will be the DAY Tor thee,
and for me also, if it be my fate to learn
that [ have believed allie. And now heark-
en- unto me- O man. who hath wandered
here from far to steal my heart and make
me all thine own. | put my hand upon thy
hand thus, and thus /, whose lips have
never kissed before, do kiss thee on the
brow, and now by my hand and by that
first and holy kiss,ay, by my peoples veal,
and by my throne that like enough l shall
lose for thee, by the name of my high
house, by the sacred stone, and by the
eternal majesty Of the Sun, [ swear that
for thee will I live and die. And I swear
that viii love thee and thee only till death,
ay and beyond, if as thou sayest there be
a beyond, and that thv Will shall be my
will, and thy ways my ways.
ooh, see, see, my lord! thou knowest not
how humble is she who loves; /, who am
a Queen, / kneel before thee, even at thy
feet do my homage and the lovely, i'm
passioned creature flung herself down on
her knees on the cold marble before him.
and after that I really do not know what
happened, for l could stand it no longer,
and cleared off to refresh myself with a
little of old Umslopogaas' society, leaving
them to settle it their own way; and very
long time they were about it.
| found the old warrior leaning on InkoS-
ikaasi, as usual, and surveying the scene
in the patch of moonlight with grim smile
Of amusement.
EAh, Macumazahn," he said, 81 suppose
! IS because am getting old. but 1 don't
think that shall ever learn to understand
the ways of you white people. Look there
now, pray thee, they are pretty pair of
doves, but what is all the fuss about, Ma
cumazahn? He wants a wife, and she
wants husband; then why does he not
pay his COWS down. (alluding to the Zulu
custom) like man and have done with
it? 1t would save deal of trouble, and
we should have had our nights sleep. But
there they go, talk, talk, talk, and kiss,
kiss, kiss, like mad things. Eugh"
Some three-quarters of an hour after
wards the ''pair of dovesn came strolling
towards us, Curtis looking slightly silly,
and Nyleptha remarking calmly that the
moonlight made very pretty effects on the
marble. Then, for she was in a most
gracious mood, she took my hand and said
that was ''her lord's'' dear friend, and
therefore most dear to her-not word for
my own sake, you see. Next, she lifted
Umslopogaas' ak, and examined it curl
ously, saying significantly, as she did so,
that he might soon have cause to use it in
defense of her.
After that she nodded prettily to us all,
and casting one tender glance at her lover,
glided off into the darkness like a beauti-
full vision.
When we got back to our quarters,
which We did without accident, Curtis
asked me jocularly what l was thinking
about.
Il am wondering" answered, "on what
principle it is arranged that some people
should find beautiful queens to fall in love
with them. while others find nobody at all,
or worse than nobody; and I am also won
dering how many brave mems lives this
nights work will cost" 1t was rather
hasty of me, perhaps, but somehow all the